As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional vacuum cleaner is composed of a primary body 1 that accommodates both a motor fan 2 and a cinder catching filter 3, and that induces vacuum produced suction; a device 10 that forms a dust suction hole 11 at the bottom of the primary body 1 and that collects fragments and dust on a floor; and a connecting pipe 15 connecting the primary body 1 to the device 10.
In the conventional vacuum cleaner, if the interior part of the cinder catching filter 3 is set to a vacuum situation by operating motor fan 2, dust and fragments on the floor are gathered with air through the connecting pipe 15. Afterward, the dust and fragments are filtered through cinder catching filter 3, and only pure air is exhausted through an outlet 4 located at the back of primary body 1.
However, by sucking up the surrounding air, the vacuum cleaner is only able to remove the dust and the fragments on the floor while leaving behind muck and spots on the floor.
In order to remove muck and spots as well as dust and fragments, a moisture, or wet, type cleaner is typically used after one uses a separate vacuum cleaner. However, the additional cleaning step of using a separate moisture type cleaning device afterwards in order to maintain a clean floor is an unnecessary annoyance. When cleaning a large area, in particular, this extra step is time consuming and unnecessary.
Recently, several devices have been developed centering on the vacuum cleaner in which a towel or a sponge is affixed to the device 10, making it possible to clean a floor by using a vacuum cleaner and a moisture cleaning device at the same time.
FIGS. 2A to FIG. 2C are side sectional views of a device 10 that is mounted to various kinds of moisture cleaning devices.
FIG. 2A shows a moisture cleaning device disclosed in Korea Utility Model No. 93-25020. The device comprises a structure in which the roller moisture cleaner is wrapped around the peripheral surface of the rotation axis 21 located at the center of the device 10. Therefore, if device 10 is moved back and forth, the roller moisture cleaner 20 rotates and rubs the floor. Therefore, at the same time that the spots or muck are removed, dust and fragments are sucked up though the dust suction hole 11 positioned at the front and rear of moisture cleaner 20.
FIG. 2B is a moisture cleaner device disclosed in Korea Patent Publication No. 94-10754. The moisture cleaner device operates by the connection of a roller moisture cleaner 25 to a working motor 24 by a belt 26. The working motor 24 is operated by an operating switch 27 that connects and shorts the power according to the movement of device 10. As shown in FIG. 2B, when device 10 is moved forward, the operating switch 27 is converted to the right direction, and power is sent to a driving motor 24. Rotation of belt 26 causes the roller shaped moisture cleaner 25 to rotate and the clean side of the moisture cleaner device 25 rubs the floor.
On the other hand, when device 10 is moved backwards, the operating switch 27 is converted to the left direction and power is broken, so the driving motor 24 ceases to operate. FIG. 2C is a moisture cleaning device disclosed in Korea Patent No. 94-2584, Unlike the roller-styled moisture cleaners shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, a belt-styled moisture cleaner 32 is used. The liquid cleaner 32 comprises a belt styled moisture cleaner 32 rolled around a pair of rollers 31 and 31'; a driving motor 30; and a pair of transferring rollers 33 and 33' which transfer the driving power of the driving motor 30 to the belt-styled moisture cleaner 32, and which accommodate the device 10. The dust suction hole 11 is located at the front of moisture cleaner 32. If the driving motor 30 is operated, the transferring rollers 33 and 33' are rotated, the belt-styled moisture cleaner 32 is rotated in one direction, whereby the floor is rubbed removing the spots and muck.
The above-mentioned moisture cleaner devices enlarge the size of device 10 since the moisture cleaner devices are positioned in the interior part of device 10. Therefore, the handling of device 10 is difficult and dust intake on the corner is impossible during the cleaning. In addition, device 10 does not allow the user to operate only the dust intake if desired, the moisture cleaner operating in conjunction with the dust intake due to the structure of the prior art devices.
Moreover, the used moisture cleaner must be removed and replaced by a clean moisture cleaner, a difficult procedure in view of the structure of the above prior art devices. In essence, the moisture cleaner structure and function is dictated by the size of device 10, the structure of the prior art being complex which increases the cost of device 10.